Photo: Sam Santos/GettyKeanu Reevesis getting candid about his Asian identity and how it relates to his role inThe Matrix Resurrections.The 57-year-old actor opened up toNBC Asian Americaabout his Chinese Hawaiian heritage and how he connects with his Asian background, which he rarely speaks about.“My relationship to my Asian identity, it’s always been good and healthy. And I love it,” he told the outlet. “We’ve been growing up together.“Reeves did admit, however, that he has mixed feelings about being referred to as a person of color, saying, “I don’t know if I agree with that statement. But I don’t not agree.“InThe Matrix Resurrections,the upcoming fourth installment in the sci-fi franchise, Reeves reprises his role as Neo and performs a number of stunts, including scenes that pull from Chinese kung fu films.Reeves told NBC that the Matrix creators wanted to be respectful when drawing from Asian cultural sources. He said he was able to do just that with the help of choreographers, including Tiger Hu Chen, who worked on the originalMatrixfranchise.“Chen was my teacher on the trilogy, and it was wonderful to work with him onResurrections,” Reeves said in the interview. “We know each other, he’s a wonderful martial artist. So I feel really grateful and honored to be able to spend time with him.““With the martial arts, [we’re] presenting those art forms in an artful way, in a respectful way. Not in a way where it’s experienced as a caricature, but from a place of reverence,” he continued.Courtesy of Warner Bros. PicturesNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Last year, the actor toldEssencethat though he’s “not a spokesperson” for the Asian community, he still hopes that his roles can be impactful when it comes to on-screen representation.“I hope that whatever opportunities I’ve had, or the work that I’m doing, in some way can entertain and can also — I don’t want to say teach — but have something of value come out of it,” he told the outlet.In the latest film, Reeves stars alongsideCarrie-Anne Moss,Neil Patrick Harris,Jonathan Groff,Yahya Abdul-Mateen II,Jada Pinkett Smith,Jessica Henwick,Priyanka Chopra Jonasand more.The Matrix Resurrectionsis in theaters and on HBO Max starting Dec. 22.
Photo: Sam Santos/Getty
Keanu Reevesis getting candid about his Asian identity and how it relates to his role inThe Matrix Resurrections.The 57-year-old actor opened up toNBC Asian Americaabout his Chinese Hawaiian heritage and how he connects with his Asian background, which he rarely speaks about.“My relationship to my Asian identity, it’s always been good and healthy. And I love it,” he told the outlet. “We’ve been growing up together.“Reeves did admit, however, that he has mixed feelings about being referred to as a person of color, saying, “I don’t know if I agree with that statement. But I don’t not agree.“InThe Matrix Resurrections,the upcoming fourth installment in the sci-fi franchise, Reeves reprises his role as Neo and performs a number of stunts, including scenes that pull from Chinese kung fu films.Reeves told NBC that the Matrix creators wanted to be respectful when drawing from Asian cultural sources. He said he was able to do just that with the help of choreographers, including Tiger Hu Chen, who worked on the originalMatrixfranchise.“Chen was my teacher on the trilogy, and it was wonderful to work with him onResurrections,” Reeves said in the interview. “We know each other, he’s a wonderful martial artist. So I feel really grateful and honored to be able to spend time with him.““With the martial arts, [we’re] presenting those art forms in an artful way, in a respectful way. Not in a way where it’s experienced as a caricature, but from a place of reverence,” he continued.Courtesy of Warner Bros. PicturesNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Last year, the actor toldEssencethat though he’s “not a spokesperson” for the Asian community, he still hopes that his roles can be impactful when it comes to on-screen representation.“I hope that whatever opportunities I’ve had, or the work that I’m doing, in some way can entertain and can also — I don’t want to say teach — but have something of value come out of it,” he told the outlet.In the latest film, Reeves stars alongsideCarrie-Anne Moss,Neil Patrick Harris,Jonathan Groff,Yahya Abdul-Mateen II,Jada Pinkett Smith,Jessica Henwick,Priyanka Chopra Jonasand more.The Matrix Resurrectionsis in theaters and on HBO Max starting Dec. 22.
Keanu Reevesis getting candid about his Asian identity and how it relates to his role inThe Matrix Resurrections.
The 57-year-old actor opened up toNBC Asian Americaabout his Chinese Hawaiian heritage and how he connects with his Asian background, which he rarely speaks about.
“My relationship to my Asian identity, it’s always been good and healthy. And I love it,” he told the outlet. “We’ve been growing up together.”
Reeves did admit, however, that he has mixed feelings about being referred to as a person of color, saying, “I don’t know if I agree with that statement. But I don’t not agree.”
InThe Matrix Resurrections,the upcoming fourth installment in the sci-fi franchise, Reeves reprises his role as Neo and performs a number of stunts, including scenes that pull from Chinese kung fu films.
Reeves told NBC that the Matrix creators wanted to be respectful when drawing from Asian cultural sources. He said he was able to do just that with the help of choreographers, including Tiger Hu Chen, who worked on the originalMatrixfranchise.
“Chen was my teacher on the trilogy, and it was wonderful to work with him onResurrections,” Reeves said in the interview. “We know each other, he’s a wonderful martial artist. So I feel really grateful and honored to be able to spend time with him.”
“With the martial arts, [we’re] presenting those art forms in an artful way, in a respectful way. Not in a way where it’s experienced as a caricature, but from a place of reverence,” he continued.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Last year, the actor toldEssencethat though he’s “not a spokesperson” for the Asian community, he still hopes that his roles can be impactful when it comes to on-screen representation.
“I hope that whatever opportunities I’ve had, or the work that I’m doing, in some way can entertain and can also — I don’t want to say teach — but have something of value come out of it,” he told the outlet.
In the latest film, Reeves stars alongsideCarrie-Anne Moss,Neil Patrick Harris,Jonathan Groff,Yahya Abdul-Mateen II,Jada Pinkett Smith,Jessica Henwick,Priyanka Chopra Jonasand more.
The Matrix Resurrectionsis in theaters and on HBO Max starting Dec. 22.
source: people.com
